U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson today announced the “Eviction Prevention and Stability Toolkit” to encourage Public Housing Authorities (PHA) and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) landlords to plan for and implement strategies to keep families stably housed and mitigate economic hardships due to Coronavirus.

Once the CARES Act relief bill was signed into law, an eviction moratorium was enacted for 120 days on Public Housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, FHA-insured multifamily properties, and multifamily-assisted properties. The 120-day eviction moratorium ends on July 25, 2020.

To assist families in mitigating any hardships that may arise, HUD has provided an Eviction Prevention and Stability Toolkit.

The toolkit is composed of a PHA best practices guide, tenant brochure with tips to avoid eviction, HCV landlord flyer to encourage engagement with tenants before the moratorium expires, and repayment agreement guidance in addition to sample documents to provide increased clarity for landlords and renters utilizing the resources.

“Many Americans appreciate the role a safe home plays in our everyday lives,” said Secretary Ben Carson. “The Department continues to work with housing providers and renters to prevent any threat to the housing stability of Americans, which is central to their health and well-being, especially in the wake of the coronavirus. Since the onset of this pandemic, we have taken proactive measures to keep Americans in their homes, and this toolkit continues our work.”

For FHA-insured multifamily properties and multifamily-assisted properties where the owner is receiving forbearance mortgage payment relief, tenants cannot be evicted solely for nonpayment of rent for the duration of the forbearance period. HUD issued guidance on July 1 for owners of these properties, including a new online brochure for owners to share with tenants.

In addition, since the onset of COVID-19, HUD took action to help homeowners, landlords, and renters financially impacted by the pandemic. These actions include:

• Before the passage of the CARES Act relief bill, HUD implemented a 60-day moratorium on foreclosures and evictions to protect homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages who are experiencing economic hardship due to the pandemic. FHA has extended the moratorium twice, now prolonged through August 31, 2020. This applies to Single Family forward mortgages and Home Equity Conversion (reverse) mortgages. FHFA made a similar move with respect to loans made by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
• At the onset of the outbreak, HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing encouraged Tribes and Public Housing Authorities to place a temporary moratorium on all evictions, foreclosures, and any actions that would result in residents becoming homeless or otherwise unstable. Tribes are encouraged to provide any rent relief and loss mitigation to any eligible families that cannot make rent or homebuyer payments at this time.
• Once the CARES Act relief bill was signed into law, an eviction moratorium was enacted for 120 days on Public Housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, FHA-insured multifamily properties, and multifamily-assisted properties. The 120-day eviction moratorium ends on July 25, 2020, except for these properties that have an FHA-insured mortgage in forbearance, or HUD Multifamily Housing assisted properties. For these properties, the eviction moratorium remains in place for the duration of the forbearance period.
• HUD provided a PHA best practices guide, tenant brochure with tips to avoid eviction, HCV landlord flyer to encourage engagement with tenants before the moratorium expires, and repayment agreement guidance in addition to sample documents to provide increased clarity for landlords and renters utilizing the resources.
• The Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) published FAQs to help Tribes, tribally designated housing entities, lenders, and tenants understand the CARES Act eviction moratorium and how it applies under certain ONAP programs. ONAP also published a flyer for covered tenants to assist them with understanding their rights under the eviction moratorium.
• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched the new mortgage and housing assistance website, cfpb.gov/housing.